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Current Staff: Kynzi, R'zel, and Xiawen.

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Please use the drop-down menu to navigate through our area policies.

Note that our area staff policies and procedures can be reached via the Area Staff Portal.

Please note that Southern Weyr's policies are an ever-changing organism, but that Area Staff is committed to keeping players informed. Although we have made revisions to many policies over the lifespan of the area, we are generally working toward keeping our policies streamlined and relevant.

If you find any errors or inconsistencies in these policies, please feel free to contact one of the staff members listed above, or you can reach us via @send *sws.

Activity Policies

Due to real world events, GDocs scenes in PUBLIC ROOMS (owned by Builder) will count towards scene reqs for the time being.
For more information, see: http://harpers-tale.wikidot.com/southern-news:gdocs-and-activity-requirements

Roles

Area Staff

The following ranks are subject to a scene requirement of 3 scenes per month.

  • All Area Staff Members
    • Because Area Staff are more likely to be fostering RP through area plots and playing plot-based characters, Area Staff members are permitted to count their RP across more than one alt.
    • Scenes for any ranking character the staff member may have also count towards their requirements as staff in the month when those scenes occur.
      • Example: Player Susie uses her character B'ob the Wingleader for Area Staff functions and also has a weyrbrat called Sozzy. Her two scenes with B'ob in January count towards both her Area Staff requirements for January and her Wingleader requirements for the Jan-March quarter. She can use her scene on Sozzy to make up her staff requirement for January.

Ranked Characters

The following ranks are subject to a scene requirement of 3 scenes per quarter.

  • Headwoman
  • Assistant Weyrlingmaster
    • Note: During a PC weyrlinghood, AWLMs are encouraged to make an effort to engage weyrlings. If there are active weyrlings, it's expected that AWLMs will offer RP to them (and staff will be expecting to see AWLM + weyrling RP).
  • Weyrlingmaster
    • Note: During a PC weyrlinghood, the WLM is encouraged to make an effort to engage weyrlings. If there are active weyrlings, it's expected that the AWLM will offer RP to them (and staff will be expecting to see WLM + weyrling RP).
  • Wingsecond
  • Wingleader
  • Weyrsecond
  • Weyrleader
  • Weyrwoman
  • Goldriders
  • Guard Captain
    • The character will be no lower in rank than a Guard Sergeant and therefore no younger than 33 Turns of age.
  • Head Crafter
    • Note: This would be the rank usually termed "Weyrcrafter" (e.g., Weyrharper, Weyrhealer, etc.), and would be considered the prime crafter posted specifically to the Weyr.
    • The character will be no lower in rank than a Senior Journeyman and therefore no younger than 33 Turns of age.
  • Head Dragonhealer - the dragonhealer in charge of organising the Weyr's dragonhealing services.

3 scenes per quarter

  1. Quarters are Jan - March, April - June, July - September, October - December.
    • December is a free month for all activity requirements, so the requirement for October - December is 2 scenes.
  2. Scenes must take place in a public room. A room is considered public if it is owned by a BUILDER.
  3. Off-game scenes (GDocs, PBEM, etc.) do not count. (But see above for a current exception to this.)
  4. Vignettes (stand-alone RP) do not count.
  5. Scenes must be posted to the wiki and be tagged 'ranked'.
  6. Three scenes per quarter is intended to be a minimum requirement; players with ranking characters are encouraged to spread their RP across the quarter. If staff notices that scenes are predominantly happening during one particular month (e.g. first/last), and there are long gaps in activity despite requirements being met, staff will reach out to the player for a discussion as having spread out scenes for our rankers helps foster RP for the entire Weyr.
  7. Scene requirements are on a per-role basis.
    • For example, if you are playing a Wingleader and an Assistant Weyrlingmaster, you are required to meet the scene requirement for each character.
  8. If the character becomes important to a TP and you are not actively playing him/her or do not respond to requests for scenes/input, they may be RPed around in order to advance the plot.
  9. If the character is reaped, he/she may be replaced in the role at once, or remain ICly in post and playable as an NPC until replaced by another PC or NPC, at the discretion of staff.

Exceptions

  1. Staff will strive to work with the off-game-realities of all players. If you know that you will not hit activity, please let staff know so that they are aware.
    • Staff must advised in advance or as early as possible in order to accommodate leave requests.
    • If the requested absence is greater than 4 months, staff may ask that the character step down from their position.

Inactivity

Characters will be reviewed for inactivity on a quarterly basis.

If you know that you will be AFK and possibly miss your scene requirements, please @send *sws in advance.

  • Area Staff Members: Area staff members are expected to stay active throughout their staffing tenure. Missing activity for two months running hurts the area and an internal discussion will occur about stepping down within the next month after the two months of missed activity.
  • Ranked Characters: If a character does not meet scene requirements for one quarter, staff will send a reminder via mail. Note: Staff are not required to reach across alts to notify someone that a mail has been sent.
    • There will be a buffer area of 7-10 days after the start of the quarter for the notification mail to be sent, to allow for late posted scenes and other issues that may occur because of timing and player's real-life events. During this time individuals are encouraged to reach out to staff if they are aware they did not meet activity.
    • If the character does not make their activity the next quarter, They will be asked to step down, and staff will coordinate with them for an IC reason. If staff cannot contact the individual at all within a week a @mail will be posted of the character stepping down with no details provided.

Escalation Policies

All players must adhere to HT's overall conduct policies.

Area Staff can help mediate and mitigate issues between players, whether directly requested to intervene or reacting to staff-perceived issues.

  1. Staff may escalate problematic players to the game's wizards at their discretion.
  2. Staff will notify any players escalated to the wizards.
  3. Staff may remove problematic players from the area until/unless behavioral issues are resolved.

Goldrider Policies

  1. Goldriders are not required to join staff or have any specific OOC responsibilities.
  2. Goldriders must adhere to the Activity Policies defined by staff for ranking characters.
    • Inactive goldriders will not be eligible to have a PC clutch or attain or hold the rank of Senior.
    • Inactive goldriders will normally remain at Southern Weyr but may, at the player's request or at staff's discretion if the needs of the area require it, move to an NPC area.
  3. Returning/reactivating goldriders must apply to *sws to be reinstated to activity, and it is at the discretion of the current Area Staff whether or not to re-admit the character.
  4. Goldriders are not required to clear any Flight winners with staff, with the exception of a leadership Flight. Please see the Weyrleader Policies for details.
  5. The clutch rotation should be determined by and among the current goldriders. Area Staff will intervene if requested to mediate any disputes.
    • Note: Area Staff may require a Leadership Flight to be held to facilitate plot purposes or to replace a problematic or idle Weyrleader. Area Staff must give a minimum of a two-week notice to the goldrider players before requiring a Flight is held, and the Senior Weyrwoman player may request an extension for an additional two weeks to facilitate the RP.

NPC Clutches

  1. Goldriders should inform staff when they will be having NPC Clutches so that staff can maintain the wiki accordingly.
  2. If a goldrider "stalls" during an NPC cycle (e.g., posts a Flight but never a Clutching), staff reserves the right to post the conclusion of the cycle.

PC Clutches

  1. Only active goldriders will be permitted to run PC Clutches.
  2. As a Hatching approaches, Area Staff will reach out to the current SW goldriders for their proposed PC clutchmother. If the proposed candidate is not considered active, it is within staff's purview to require a different clutchmother.
  3. Once SearchCo has been formed, they are considered OOCly in charge of all decisions (including dates, posts, themes, etc.) for all PC Clutches.
  4. It is at the discretion of the current SearchCo to make posts regarding things such as Clutchings and Hatchings, including references to the clutching gold. Generally, SearchCo will work with the goldrider to coordinate these things, but it is within SearchCo's right to post with or without a goldrider's consent.
    • Note: Light, reasonable power-play will be permitted in such circumstances. SearchCo may make assumptions about the presence of a queen on the Sands tending her eggs, may post about the number of days she took to Clutch, etc. (Essentially, SearchCo reserves the right to continue on with the show in the event of an unresponsive goldrider.)

Weyrwoman Determination

  1. Goldriders should decide among themselves to choose a candidate for Weyrwoman and present that candidate to area staff via *sws. This will normally, but not necessarily, be at the request of staff. At this point, the goldriders' choice is considered final.
    • If the current goldriders cannot come to a consensus, all interested names must be forwarded to staff, and they will make the decision. The means of making the decision is at staff's discretion.
  2. Staff will review the candidate for activity. If the candidate meets the activity requirements, staff will confirm to the goldriders by mail, within 7 days, that their candidate is acceptable. Staff will then liaise with the new Senior regarding the timing of the Leadership flight.
  3. Staff may revoke a character's position as Senior Weyrwoman for failure to meet activity requirements. This requires a unanimous decision by staff.
  4. If a Weyrwoman is removed and there are no active goldriders or no goldriders that are willing to become senior, staff will be responsible for making a decision. This may include (but is not limited to):
    • Creation of an NPC goldrider.
    • Opening a dialogue with Igen for a transfer gold.
    • Allowing an insta-gold.
    • Impressing a PC gold at the next Hatching.

Insta Policies

Insta-rider: (Weyrling etc):

An Insta-rider is where you apply to have a dragon created for a character. Southern Weyr staff prefers that this is requested for a newly created character. However if it is for the purpose of revitalizing an existing character we request that that sufficient time has passed since the last in-game interactions that a weyrlinghood can be accommodated. (eg: 2 turns, or 8 RL months).

Insta-rider requests will be considered on a case by case basis and are still subject to the policy considerations below:

  1. Staff may limit any color, rank, or general "type" that we feel is overpopulated in the structure of Southern.
  2. Staff may decline an insta request based on inactivity of other alts.
  3. Staff may require a 45-day "cooldown" between insta requests on a per-player basis.
  4. Staff may decline an insta request if someone frequently creates and then idles characters without playing them.
  5. Staff may decline an insta request for someone that was refused Search or Impression at a PC Clutch.
Reskin:

A reskin is where an application is made to make significant changes to an existing character object, keeping the original #dbref and objects (such as firelizards). Frequently this involves changes that cannot be done by a player. (Name, gender, color-change/removal of dragon etc.) and requires wizard involvement. These changes still have to undergo the same approval as would a new to the grid character, in this instance SWS acts as the guide.

Note: If your character doesn’t already have a dragon, this will not create one for them - this would require a insta-rider request.

Rank Policies

All ranking characters are required to adhere to the Activity Policies.

  1. In general, ranking positions are open to all active characters of Southern Weyr via application to area staff.
    • Note: The player of the direct IC superior ranking character will usually be consulted about any promotions (e.g., a Wingleader will be asked about a Wingsecond). It is within the purview of the existing ranking character to decline a request, but they must provide a credible reason to Area Staff. In the event that there are conflicting IC personalities or logistics, it is the responsibility of the players involved to work out something reasonable for both parties. However, staff is ready and willing to assist in smoothing out bumps.
  2. Area staff will ensure all applicants adhere to the activity policies and then forward requests to the player of the direct IC superior.
    • If no ranking superior exists as a PC, it is within staff's purview to promote the character.
  3. The ranking character and the requesting character should work out the logistics of the promotion (on-camera vs. off-camera, requested vs. solicited, etc.) between themselves.
  4. Once the promotion has taken place, notification is given to area staff.

SearchCo Policies

  1. Formation & Autonomy. Staff will decide the SearchCo Lead(s). They will be the head of SearchCo. Area Staff will only get involved in SearchCo issues if they reach beyond the breadth of Co (e.g., behavioral issues that impact the area).
    • Leads are responsible for creating all forms, and for adding them to the wiki. Necessary forms are listed at the bottom of the page.
  2. Activity. All members must be active. Please check the activity policies and make sure you are maintaining activity consistent with Southern's policies. If you are not active, you will not be allowed to join SearchCo. No exceptions.
    1. If you fall outside of the activity requirements once you join SearchCo, you may still be held on Co, but you will lose voting privileges.
    2. Search Leads are required to be OOCly active in guiding SearchCo. It is the responsibility of Co Leads to enforce all Co policies.
  3. No Full Candidate Alts. You may not have a character applying for Traditional Search.
    • You are allowed to have an Insta Candidate, but you must offer full disclosure.
      1. You should not be on any private candidate channels.
      2. You must send a mail to the candidate mailer disclosing your alt as a SearchCo alt.
      3. You may not, at any time, discuss SearchCo information with Candidates.
  4. Confidentiality. SearchCo works under the assumption that all the information discussed among SearchCo stays among SearchCo. This confidentiality promotes honesty, and it's of the utmost importance that it is fully respected. You may not discuss SearchCo's decisions or discussions with anyone that is not on SearchCo.
  5. Hatching Results. SearchCo has complete autonomy to decide the ultimate distribution of dragon colors within a Hatching and the Impression of PCs and NPCs.
    1. Southern Weyr's governing philosophy is generally to allow people to pursue their character arcs within reason. This also pertains to Impression: SearchCo should be attempting to Impress as many people as possible.
      • Atypical Candidates (e.g. Stands Impressions or other alternatives) are permitted at the discretion of SearchCo, but must be discussed with SearchCo prior to applying.
      • Atypical Candidates will not be allowed during cycles with a gold egg and should ideally be limited to no more than one per calendar year.
      • Atypical Candidates will be treated OOCly the same as other Candidates and will be subject to the same OOC expectations (e.g. commenting and voting)
      • SearchCo has final say on what they will and will not allow during a given cycle. SearchCo will also be expected to organize the Hatching in such a way as to ensure a good experience for all participants.
    2. If there are too many applicants to realistically devote time to writing inspirations for each of them, it is up to SearchCo to decide which applicants will Impress. SearchCo should be making every opportunity to provide as many dragons as possible.
    3. All inspirations must be complete and ready to view in some form (e.g., added to the wiki, emailed to Impressees, available on GDocs, etc.) immediately after the Hatching.

Wiki Updates

All of the pages below should be "touched" during Search to ensure they have current info:

Applications - These pages should just need the forms embedded.

Weyrleader Policies

The potential for a new Weyrleader will occur any time there is a senior gold Flight. Please read the Goldrider Policies for details about when a leadership Flight might occur.

Selection Process

  1. Senior Weyrwoman notifies staff of an upcoming leadership Flight or staff requests a Leadership Flight to be held.
  2. Area Staff puts out a call for interested Weyrleader candidates. Interested candidates send to *sws with their interest.
    • All candidates must meet the activity requirements.
    • Area Staff reserves the right to decline any interested party if they feel the player or character will not be a good fit. If someone is disqualified for any reason, Area Staff will notify them directly. These reasons may include (but are not limited to):
      • Past behavioral issues.
      • IC personality that will conflict with area plots.
      • A roleplay style that conflicts with the RP of the area's members.
      • Concerns about past inactivity.
  3. If there is more than one interested bronze or brownrider, Area Staff will notify all interested parties, allowing for anyone to withdraw their interest if they wish to.
  4. If there is more than one qualified and interested candidate, it is up to the interested candidates to present the final candidate to staff. This is typically done by presenting an area-wide vote.
  5. The final candidate is submitted to area staff for ratification.
  6. Area staff notifies the player of the Senior Weyrwoman so they can coordinate their Flight RP.

Area Staff reserves the right to forego the selection process and designate a Weyrleader character for plot purposes. In this case, there must be a clear expectation of when the plot will end, at which point the procedure above will go back into place.

Transfer Policies

These policies affect dragonriders only. Crafters and residents are welcome to simply request a transfer to both Area Staffs. The reason for these rules are because of the nature of Impression and the amount of work that goes into making a dragon, having a PC cycle, etc! Plus, we really want our players to be happy!

Rider Transfers FROM Igen Weyr TO Southern Weyr

  • Rider transfers must be approved by both weyrs, and will be at both staffs' discretion. So, when you send in your request, make sure you @send both *sws AND *igs.
  • Riders transferring in with activity requirements (WLM, WW, WL, etc.) must meet Southern Weyr's activity requirements for 3 public scenes posted to the wiki in the past month. Riders who do not meet activity requirements can transfer in as a wingrider and work on their activity.
  • Players are encouraged to wait 1 year after Impressing at Igen (traditional candidates only) before requesting a transfer to Southern. This is to respect the time and effort that Igen's SearchCo put in on creating a dragon for someone. This does not apply to insta's.

Transferring OUT of Southern Weyr

First things first! We are sad to see you go! If you are intending to transfer out of Southern, we would love to hear from you before you leave. A few things to keep in mind about transfers out:

  • In order to be eligible for a transfer, one game Search Cycle must have elapsed between when you graduated Weyrlinghood (or time of creation if you are an Insta Rider (not weyrling)). This is to allow everyone to have a chance at success!
  • Are you leaving because of OOC reasons? Are you leaving because of IC reasons? While a formal mail is not required, we would love to know!
  • It is encouraged (though not required) that the character be considered "active" prior to making the transfer request - neither weyr wants inactive characters moving around. That's not the purpose of the transfer system. The purpose of the transfer system is to allow players to either work out IC plots or to find an environment that meets their needs!
  • Sometimes, however, a character needs a jump start that changing weyrs might provide, thus in all cases, Southern will not limit a character's mobility, but an inactive character may or may not be accepted by the weyr they are transferring into!